Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
S-80-014
1~ 72~Z ZUP~NIC'K
ORIFICE WEAR COMPENSATION
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
_
This invention relates to the volumetric measurement of fluid
flow and, more particularly, to means for improving the long-term
accuracy of such measurements when carri.ed out by determining the
differential pressure across an in-stream precision orifice and solv-
ing a formula in which the di~erential pressure is a variable factor.
Accurate volumetric measurements of gas flow, such as those
made in the commercial production and delivery of natural gas, are of-
ten carried out by calculations based upon the pressure differentialobserved across a standard orifice disposed in the gas ~low S~;r~r~
According to the standards established by the American Gas Association,
as set forth in Gas Measurement Committee Report No. 3 (Ori~ice ~eter-
_ _
ing of NaturaI Gas), the gas flow rate is determined by using the
formula:
~ I
Qh ~ C ~hwpf
n which
Qh = the quantity of flow at base conditions in cubic
:
~ feet per hour
,
~- C - the orifice flow constant
w = the differential pressure in inches of water at 60F
p~ = the absolute static pressu~e in pounds per square
. ~
inch
The ori~ice flow constant is defined as the rate of ~low in
cub1c ~eet per hour, at base conditions, when the extension ~ equals
one. It is calculated by the following equation:
~ :
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:
..
~ , . ,
. :
.-
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C - FbFrY FpbFtb~tf~FpvFm~;l e
where
Fb = basic orifice factor
F = Reynold's number factor
Y = expansion factor
Fpb= pressure base factor
Ftb= temperature base factor
Ftf- flowing temperature factor
Fg = specific gravity factor
Fpv- supercompressibility factor
Fm = manometer factor (for mercury type meters only)
Fa = orifice thermal expansion factor
Fl = gage location factor
The values of the several factors are readily ~,sc~rta:ina~
discussed in detail ln the above-mentîoned American Gas Association
~publication and in other standard references in the field.
It will be manifest that the oriiice itself must adhere quite
closely to pr~edetermined dimensions and standards of finish in order to
; ~ ~ obtain~and maintain the desired degree of accuracy in calculating the
ga~s vol~umetrio ~low. By way o~ example~ a number of specific criteria
for~the orifice are set forth ln the above-referenced American Gas
Assoc~io~ publication.
Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the quality
of~ the volumetric measurement will be a strong -function of the condition
of the~orifice plate and in~partioular of the edges of the orifice it-
self. These edges, however, are subject to wear by erosion primarily
:
caused by particulate matter in the flowing s-tream. The ~mount of wear
on the~orifice plate~depends primarlly on (1~ the amount of partlculate
materlal in the streams; (2) the velocity of the particles; and, (3)
~: 30 the abraslve characteristlcs of the particles.
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Since it is highly desirable, particularly in view of the
remarkable increase in the cost of natural gas, that the measur-
ing apparatus operate wi-th sustained accuracy, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that it would be highly desirable to
provide means for compensating for the effects of wear to the
orifice plate due to erosion.
It is therefore a broad object of my inven-tion to provide
improved means for effecting volumetric measurements of gas
flowing through a conduit.
It is another object of my invention to provide means for
improving the long-range accuracy of such volumetric measurements.
In a more specific aspect, it is an object of my invention
to provide, in an orifice plate apparatus for measuring the rate
of gas flow in a conduit, means for indirectly measuring and
compensating for orifice plate wear in order to achieve long-range
precision of the measuring system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by
providing one or more probes serially in the same flow path as
the orifice in such a manner that the wear on the probe will
represent, in an analagous manner, the wear to the precision
orifice. The probe is configured to exhibit a change in a
measurable quantity, such as resistance, to compensate the
volumetric measurement obtained by measuring the differential
pressure across the orifice.
Thus, in accordance with the present teachings, an improve-
ment is provided in a method for measuring the volumetric rate of
flow of gas through the conduit which method emplo~s a precision
~ orifice disposed in the gas flow and means for measuring the
pressure differential across the orifice whereby the pressure
differential may be utilized in a standard formula to obtain the
volumetric rate of flow. The improvement which is provided com-
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prises determining analagously the wear to the precision orificeby measuring the wear to a probe fixed in the gas flow path
upstream of the precision orifice, deriving an orifice wear
correction factor from the measured wear on the probe, and,
including the correction factor in a modified standard formula
to obtain a volumetric rate of flow value corrected for orifice
plate wear.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TllE INVENTION
The subject matter of the invention is particularly pointed
out and distinetly claimed in the concluding portion of the
specifieation. The invention, however, both as to organization
and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to
the following description taken in eonjunetion with the subjoined
elaims and the aecompanying drawing of which:
:~
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~ 20
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f l
.
Figure 1 is a parti~lly cutaway repres(~n~l-tion of a pipe con-
taining an orifice me~eri.ng device employed :in con,junction with a wear
compensation metering probe according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a partially schematic, si.mplified representation of
a system for employing the compensating means Oe the present in~ention
to improve the long-term accuracy of gas volumetric flow measurements
employing orifice metering;
Figure 3 is a schemati.c representation of a bridge circuit for
obtaining a readout representative of orifice wear as measured anala-
gously by the wear probe;
. Figure 4 is a high level schematic representation of an instru-
ment for reading out compensated volumetric flow;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail of the probe base section
taken along the lines 5-5 in Figure 1; and
- Figure 6 is a cutaway view of a worn probe.
Referring now to Figure 1, a length of pipe 1 includes an orif-
ice plate 2 having a standard orifice 3 disposed in the flow ~ath o~
; gas passing through the pipe. An opening 4 in the sidewall o~ the pipe
l is positioned j~st upstream (with gas -flowing in -the direction of the
arrow 5) the orifice plate ~ serves as a tap kole for obtaining an up-
stream pres~sure signal. Similarly, a second opening 6 through the pipe
1 sidewall is positioned just downstream from the orifice plate 2 and
serves as a tap hole for obtaining a downstream pressure reading. Thus>
~ :the upstrèam pressure will appear in conduit 7 and the downstream pres-
: ~ :
~sure in conduit 8 such that pressure gage 9, connected across -the conduits
7 and 8, will read the differential pressure across the reference orif-
ice~3. Pressure transducers 10 and 11, respectively, develop electrical
.
signals analagous to Upstream Pressure tP ) and Downstream Pressure (Pd)
: for remote display and/or utilization of the sensed values.
30 : Still referring to Figure 1, a wear probe unit 12 is affixed to
and extends through the sidewall of the pipe 1 upstream from the ref-
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.t~ 2~
erence orifice 3. The wear probe unit 12 includes a probe sec-tion 13
which extends radially through an opening 14 in the side wall of the
pipe 1. The probe sectioll 13 inc~Ludes a first resistive element 15
which faces upstream, a second resistive element 16 which faces down-
stream, and an insulator 17 centrally disposed, and electrically separ-
ating, the first and second resistive elements 15~ 16.
As exemplary of the manner in which the probe section may be
held, gas tight, in position within the pipe 1, a nut 18 may be welded
to the outer wall of the pipe 1 in a position concentric to the opening
14. The probe section 13 is supported by a base section 19 which in-
cludes a threaded portion 20 adapted to threadably engage the nut 18.
The base section 19 includes terminals 20, 21 J and 22 whl~h cGn~e~,t to
the resistive elements 15 and 16 in a manner to be describetS in de~t~il
below. Suitable insulation means (not shown in ~igure 1) in the base
- section 19 of the wear probe unit 12 insulate the internal electrical
connections between the terminals 21, 22, 23 and the resistive elements
15, 16. A gasket, such as o-ring 24, serves to insure the gas tigh-t in-
tegrity of the system in the region of the wear probe unit 12.
Swirls and cross-currents set up by the probe section 13 should
be eliminated before the stream impinges on the orifice plate 2. This
may be accomplished by a set of straightening vanes 25 positioned in a
sectlon of the pipe 1 intermediate the probe section 13 and the ori~ice
plate 2. The vanes preferably comprise thin-walled tubing, either welded
together and properly and securely attached into the pipe 1, or mounted
into two end rings small enou~h to slip into -the pipe. Square, hexag-
onal, or other shaped tubing may be used in making the vanes 25. It is
not necessary that all of the vane passages be o~ the same size, but
their arrangement should be symmetrical. The condition of the fluid
stream upstream ~rom the probe unit 12 rnay make it appropriate to also
provlde a vane set (not shown) ahead o~ the probe unit.
As shown in ~lgure 2, the terminal 22 is electrically connected
to the junction between the resistive elements 15 and 16 and also to a
reference potential such as the ne~ative electrvde of a battery 28. The
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terminal 21 is connected to the inside (i.e., adjacent the dielectric
17) of resistive element 15 and also to one encl of a res:istor 26. The
terminal ~3 is connec-t~d to the inside (i.e., adjacent dielectric 17)
of the resistance element 16 and also to one end of another resistor 27.
In addition, terminal 23 is connected to gYound potential. The o-ther
ends of each of the resistors 26 and 27 are connected toge-ther and to
the positive electrode of battery 28. It will therefore be appreciated
that the resistive elements 15 and 16 and resistors 26 and 27 comprise
a d-c bridge such that the potential observed between the terminals 21
and 23 will be representative of the difference in resistance between
the resistive elements 15 and 16. The resistors 26 and 27 are selectecl
to be equal and the same ~or nearly the same) as the res.istiv-~ m~ J
15 and 16 prior to any wear taking place to the resisti~e elerllents.
Thus, it will be appreciated that a correction constant (Kc)
- indicative of the wear on the resistive element 15 (and hence analagous
to the wear on the orifice plate 2 at the edges of the orifice 3) will
be represented by a d-c voltage level appearing at the electrode 21 due
to the consequent imbalance of the bridge. The signal ~c is coupled,
through line 29, ~,o an information processing unit 30 which also re-
~20 celves upstream pressure information from the pressure transducer 10(Figure 1) on line 31, downstream pressure information from the pressure
transducer 11 on line 32, and static pressure (pf3 information from any
suitable atmospheric pressure sensor 33 on line 34. The orifice flow
constant C is entered, as by dial unit 35. The Kc~ Pu~ Pd, Pf, and C
information signals are applied to arithmetic unit 36 which calculates
the volumetric flow rate according to the formula: Qh = Kc C ~ U-Pd) pf;
i.e., the established formula augmented by introduction of the correc-
tlon factor Kc representative of the wear of the resistive element 15
which is analagous ~o the wear on the orifice plate 2 at the edges of
~30 the orifice 3. The quantity Qh is available to display/utilization
apparatus 37 for downstream useage and/or processing. Those skilled
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in the art will appreciate that the manner in which the signals Kc,
Pu~ Pd, P~, and C are employecl to obt;ain and utili~e the quantity Qh
may actually take widely diverse .eorms frorn a simp]e pencil and paper
calculation to interfacing with an extensive information processing
system.
In practice, i-t may be found in some systems that wear to the
orifice 3 and to the resistîve element 15 takes place sufIiciently slow-
ly that the wear need not be continuously monitored. Referring to
. .
Figure 3, resistive elements 15 and 16 , resistors 26 and 27 , bat-tery
. . .
28 and terminal 21 , and 22 , and 23 , all correspond to the elements
identi~ied by like unprimed numbers in Figure 2. In the circuit of
Figure 3, a switch 38 is placed in series with the positive terminal of
the battery 28 an~ the junction between the resistor 26 and 27 . A
voltmeter 39 is electrically connected between the terminals 21 and 23 .
~ Periodic measurement of the wear to resistive elements 15 are taken by
closing the switch 38 (manually or automatically) to obtain a voltage
reading on meter 39 which represents the bridge imbalance and hence th~
degree o~ wear.
Referring now to Figure 4, a dial unit 40 on information pro-
.
cessing unit 30 may be employed to enter the correction factor Kc which
is~applied to arithmetic unit 36 . The remaining elemen-ts of informa-
; tion processing unit 30 correspond to those in information processing
~-~ units 30 in which the like elements are identilied by unprimed numbers.
Figure 5 is an expanded, cross-sectional view of the base
section 19 of the wear probe unit 12. It will be observed that the
electrode 21 is connected to the outer periphery o~ resis-tive element
15 at a point 41 b~ a conductor 42 which passes through a channel 43 in
the base section 19 of the wear probe unit 12. Similarly, the electrode
23 is connected to the outer periphery of the resistive element 16 at
connection point 44 by a conductor 4S passing through a channel 46, and
electrode 2~ is connected to electrica]ly common points 47 and 48 on
the inner peripheries of the resistive elements l5 and 16 by a conduc-
tor 49 passing t~lrough a channel 50. Preferably, the base section lg
is fabricated from non-conductillK materlal. If the base section 19 is
fabricated from concluctive material, the conductors 43, 45, and 49, the
electrodes 21, 22, and 23, and the resistive elements 15, 16, may be in-
sulated from the base section by any suitable means.
The resistive elements 15 and 16 should be fabricated from a
material exhibiting a substantial resistivity in orc~er that even rela-
tively slight wear to the resistive element 15 will obtain a Kc signal
of useable level. In addition, the material ~rom which the resistive
elements 15 and 16 are fabricated should be substantially softer than
the material from which the orifice plate is fabricated, this latter
material typically being very hard. One useable material fol the l~e-
sistive elements 15, 16 which is appropriate for a range of applications
is compressed graphite.
Figure 6 illustrates a probe section 13 exhibiting a typical
wear pattern which is very near a terminal condition indicating that
the downstream orifice plate should be replaced or recalibrated to ob-
tain a new C . I~ may be noted that the resistance between electrodes
~O 21 and 22 will have increas~d substantially with the wear shown in
Figure 6 since there is less volume for the electrons to flow between
the connection points 41 and 47 whereas the resistance between the elec-
trodes 32 and 23 (i.e., between the connection points 44 and 48) will
remain the same, or very nearly the same, thus, substantially unbal~n-
cing the bridge circuits illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 to obtain the
Kc signal.
The magnitude of the conversion factor Kc is most easily estab-
lished empirically, through controlled experiments, by subjecting a test
probe/orifice setup to a flow of gas into which abrasive particles have
O been introduced. The concentration of abrasIve particles for such a
test run may be very much higher than would be expected under normal
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operating conditions in order to obtain, within a re~asonable time, the
data necessary to prepare a table or set oI curves rela.ting observed
and measure~ change in resistance O-r the probe's upstream resi.stive
element to observed and measured wear to the ori.fice.
In order to obtain a high degree of system accuracy, it is de-
sirable -to run these tests many times to obtai.n dependable s-tatistical
data. The probes themselves should be manufactured using good quality
control procedures so that the wear character:istics may be known and
set forth, within acceptable tolerance limits, wi-th a high degree of
confidenoe.
For especially criti.cal applications, a plurality of probes ma~
be employed to give a better statistical indicati.on OI w~a'l' and/o-~ t,o
achieve improved results in systems where the fluid flow is not neces~,-
arily steady or uniform.
Whil.e the principles of the invention have now been made clea
in an illustrative embodirnent, there will be immediately obvious to
those skilled in the art many modifications of s-tructure1 arrangements,
proportions, the elements, materials, and components, used in the prac-
tice of the inven_ion which are particularly adapted for specific en-
vironments and operating requirements without departing from thoseprinclples.
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